The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for mechanically removing pests, such as lice and nits, from the hair and fur.
Traditional methods of controlling pests, such as head lice, their eggs (also known as nits), and the like, require application of a chemical pesticide or pesticides to the hair or fur to kill the pests. Most products using traditional methods include instructions recommending that such treatment should be followed by removal of the dead or dying pests and pest eggs with a comb, because none of the known pesticides are completely ovicidal. For public health reasons, children are not allowed back in school until their hair is demonstrably pest free, therefore it is necessary to remove all traces of such pests, including their egg cases. Combs used with pesticides or as an adjunct to pesticides are, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,430,303 (Ruhl) which shows a comb with hollow teeth from which a pesticide can be extruded and U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,303 (Saferstein). The traditional pesticides used, such as lindane, are poisons which can prove hazardous to pregnant women and, especially, to young children. When such pesticides are used on children because parents have little or no alternative method of controlling the pests, physical harm and even death of the child has been known to occur. Additionally, such pesticides are hazardous to the person applying them due to potential absorption through the skin during application or with inhalation. When pesticides are used on an animal, the animal tends to lick its hair or fur, and thus ingest the hazardous chemical(s). Further, the pests which infest hair and fur are becoming resistant to the currently available pesticides, thus reducing or nullifying the efficacy of such methods.
Thus currently, mechanical methods of pest removal, such as combing the hair, are generally used as an ancillary to pesticides or after an individual has been sufficiently exposed to pesticides so that the pests become resistant. Previously, various tools such as short-toothed combs and rake-like combs have been used in an attempt to remove pests and their eggs from the hair on the head of a human. Known combs suffer from several shortcomings, especially when used without pesticides. U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,498 (Saferstein, et. al.); U.S. Pat. No. 4,612,944 (Bachrach, et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,303 (Saferstein, et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,675 (DeFelice); U.S. Pat. No. 289,567 (O""Connor et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 307,192 (Saferstein et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 332,505 (Ward), the disclosures of each of which are incorporated herein by reference; show short-toothed combs which can be used by an individual to remove lice from the hair of another while monitoring efficacy or to remove pests from the individual""s hair. Such combs suffer from the inability to remove lice and their eggs from hair of different lengths; the longer the hair, the more inefficient the short-toothed tools are at removal. Further, such combs are difficult for an individual to use without assistance due to the inability of the individual to inspect their own scalp for lice and nits, then pull them out on the comb. Additionally, combs which pull the hair and generate discomfort discourage the user from repeating the combing process until all pests are removed. One example of a comb which tends to cause discomfort is a comb having specialized teeth where one edge is rounded and an opposing edge has an apex for scraping the hair has it passes between juxtaposed teeth, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,498 (Saferstein, et. al.). Combs which cause discomfort generally have the surfaces of the teeth closely coupled either due to the shape of the teeth or due to the positioning of the teeth, one relative to the other, or both. Even when a short-toothed comb is combined with a means to electrify the teeth to kill the lice on contact such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,746, nits and egg cases can remain, and then hatch reinfesting the individual providing visual cues suggesting the individual is still infested.
Longer toothed combs for mechanical pest removal are also known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 2,430,303 (Ruhl); U.S. Pat. No. D 206,476 (Cournoyer); U.S. Pat. No. D 353,915 (Lanne); and foreign patents, GB 604,963 (Royston); U.S. Pat. No. DE 339,538 (Muckenhaupt); and Argentine Industrial Model 057,522 (Burchakchi), each disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, show various types of combs having elongated teeth. None of the aforementioned recognize the need to provide for a method for ridding the comb of pests between passages of the comb through the hair or fur. Further, there is a lack of recognition of the need to prevent the harboring of crawling pests or pest eggs in the comb handle or in the space between the teeth so that re-infestation is minimized or eliminated as the comb is repeatedly passed through different sections of the hair.
In use, the aforementioned combs are generally used by one person to comb the hair of a second, seated person. The comb is passed through the hair while the comb handler looks for lice and nits. The comb is again passed through the hair of the seated person until no further pests can be found. Thus, none of the aforementioned prior art which shows long toothed or short-toothed recognizes the need for a tool which can be used effectively without the aid of another person.
It is object of this invention to provide an effective mechanical means to remove pests while minimizing or avoiding the use of a pesticide, both in the case where an individual is assisted and in the case where an individual is unassisted. Additionally, it is an object of the instant invention to provide a means for preventing re-infestation between passages of the comb through the hair. It is a still further object of the instant invention to provide a comb which will not harbor pests so that re-infestation is prevented upon subsequent passages of the comb through the hair or fur. Further, it is an object of the instant invention to provide a comb which can be utilized by a single person for the earliest possible self pest detection, diagnoses and removal, and especially for the removal of the eggs of pests, such as nits. It is a still further object of this invention to provide a tool for pest removal which is easily sanitized and comfortably passed through the hair when self-screening or when performing maintenance after delousing.
An apparatus for mechanical early detection and mechanical removal of pests and their eggs from hair and fur and a method for use of such an apparatus are provided. In a first embodiment of the apparatus, a single comb is provided. The single comb is comprised of a plurality of elongated, preferably metallic teeth which are closely spaced, yet easily allow passage of a strand(s) of hair in-between each pair; a handle having a base and a base aperture through which the teeth protrude; a means to seal the handle base at the aperture to impede the entrance of pests into the interior portion of the handle; and a means to facilitate cleaning of the spaces between the teeth. Each tooth is substantially round in cross-section and has a blunted end, thus is pin-like in structure. In this embodiment, the means to seal the aperture and the means to facilitate cleaning of the spaces between the teeth is either a combination of a means to clean the spaces between the teeth and means to permanently close the aperture where apertures are present at the base of the comb handle, or a means to clean the spaces between the teeth which temporarily blocks the base during passage of the comb through the hair. The means used to temporarily block the base is referred to herein as a xe2x80x9cdevice for cleaning the spaces between the teethxe2x80x9d and this means also functions to remove pests and their eggs from between the teeth and as a tooth scraping device to remove pests from the teeth between passages of the comb through the infested hair or fur. The means to block the aperture(s) at the base includes a coating, such as for example glue or paint, wherein the means is applied to the aperture in addition to the device for cleaning the spaces between the teeth.
The device to clean the spaces between the teeth is comprised of a substantially planar apparatus having apertures for receiving the teeth. Preferably, each aperture closely fits each tooth and is separated from an adjacent aperture by a wall. However, the aperture may also be baleen-like having a fringed region for contacting the teeth and cleaning the spaces. The apparatus, when in position proximal to the aperture at the base, blocks the aperture. After the comb is passed through the hair or fur, the device for cleaning the spaces between the teeth is transported towards the proximal end of each tooth, thereby scraping pests from between the spaces between the teeth and scraping each tooth, cleaning the comb. Before the next passage through the hair, the device for cleaning the spaces between the teeth is relocated at the aperture at the base, thereby impeding entrance of pests into the aperture during the next passage through the hair or fur. A guide is provided on the apparatus to facilitate correct alignment with the comb teeth. Additionally, the device for cleaning the spaces between teeth thus removing pests and their eggs is equally useful when the comb base is molded of a material, such as plastic, which encases the distal end of the teeth without leaving an aperture. This device may also be positioned on the teeth in closer proximity to their proximal ends, thereby shortening the tooth length which is passed through the hair.
Generally, the teeth are at least about 2 inches in length from proximal to distal end, are closely spaced one to another so that a substantially parallel layer of teeth is provided, and are round and pin-like. Each tooth is at least slightly tapered and blunted at each proximal end, the tooth end which during use is closest to the scalp or skin. This provides for ease of entry of the hair into the spaces between the teeth. Surprisingly and advantageously, less static electricity is produced in the hair or fur as it is combed when the aperture is sealed. Further, unexpectedly pests are more efficiently removed from the hair or fur. A raised or textured area may be present on one or both faces of the comb handle to facilitate gripping of the comb.
In a second embodiment, the apparatus is comprised of at least two of the aforementioned single combs. Each comb has a handle having a base and a plurality of elongated teeth which form a layer and which protrude from the base of the handle. Each has the base of each tooth closely held and sealed at the base of the comb handle. A device for cleaning the spaces between teeth can be seated on each comb individually or the device may accommodate the teeth of each comb simultaneously. Additionally, the apparatus is provided with a fastening means to couple one comb to another so that the teeth of a first layer are shifted relative to the teeth of the second layer. When the teeth are in position for pest removal, the teeth layers of each comb are held substantially parallel one to another with the teeth of the second layer centered substantially over the space between the teeth in the first layer. This pattern of tooth arrangement enhances the amount of surface area contacted on the hair or fur during a single passage with the comb. The fastening means is exemplified by: 1) a pivot pin which is seated at a pivot point in each comb and 2) a device for encasing a portion of each comb so that each comb is fixed into position relative to the adjacent comb.
In the embodiment having the pivot pin, an aperture for receiving the pivot pin and for allowing one comb to rotate relative to the next comb when the pivot pin is in the open position is provided in each of the plurality of combs. The device for cleaning between the spaces may be first removed from the teeth to free them for this rotation. When the pivot pin is in the closed position, the combs are fixed in place so that the layers of teeth are held in place. Herein, each handle of each comb which has a hollow interior has a first exterior face and a second interior face, and each of the exterior and the interior faces has an inside surface and an outside surface. However, when the individual comb has a solid handle, the handle lacks interior faces.
In one aspect of this invention, one or more indentations may be present at a peripheral edge of at least one of a pair of combs to allow insertion of a finger for facilitation of rotation of the mated comb relative to the other comb; or the edges of a comb handle may be textured to facilitate gripping of one of the combs for rotation Guides for rotation of one comb relative to the other comb may be provided. When the fastener means is in the closed or tightened position, each comb is prevented from rotating. Additionally, each of the single combs may have areas proximal to the teeth on each of their respective interior faces to further prevent rotation when the fastener means is in the closed position.
In a third embodiment of the instant invention, a plurality of the aforementioned single combs are held in position by a casing which encloses a sufficient portion of each individual single comb to position the combs in stationary layers where the teeth of one layer are proximal to the space between teeth in the adjacent layer. The casing may enclose only the edges of the handles of each comb or it may enclose a larger proportion of the handles. In each instance, the casing is easily removable to facilitate cleaning of the combs when desired. In a preferred embodiment, a single device for cleaning the spaces between the teeth having apertures situated in layers to accommodate each layer of teeth simultaneously is mounted on the teeth. When a single device for cleaning the spaces between the teeth is used, it further immobilizes the combs one to the other. However, separate devices may be provided on each comb.
Alternatively, a single comb having a handle and a plurality of layers of teeth spaced as provided in the multi-layered comb described above. Again, a single device for cleaning the spaces between the teeth having apertures spaced so as to receive each individual tooth while maintaining its relative position may be mounted on the teeth to reduce the time required for cleaning the comb between passages through the infested hair or fur.
When the comb having a plurality of layers of teeth is used, the individual strand or clump of hair or fur first passes through the space between a pair of teeth in the first comb, then is turned slightly to pass between the space between a pair of teeth in the second comb. Pests gleaned off the hair are either trapped between the combs or are removed onto the surface of the teeth of the upper most comb. When the device for cleaning the spaces between the teeth is moved from the distal end to the proximal end of the plurality of teeth between passages of the comb through the hair, pest removal is facilitated during use, and the possibility of returning live pests and their eggs to re-infest the hair is greatly diminished. Thus, hair or fur is cleaned of pests more rapidly and efficiently.